Toomey says Trump should resign and could face 'criminal liability'

Sen. Pat Toomey said Sunday that President Donald Trump should resign from office and could face "criminal liability" after the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, becoming the second Republican senator to call for the President's resignation.

Posted 3:47 p.m. Jan 10, 2021 — Updated 3:47 p.m. Jan 10, 2021

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Alison Main, CNN

CNN — Sen. Pat Toomey said Sunday that President Donald Trump should resign from office and could face "criminal liability" after the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, becoming the second Republican senator to call for the President's resignation.

"I think at this point, with just a few days left, it's the best path forward, the best way to get this person in the rearview mirror for us that could happen immediately," the Pennsylvania Republican told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." "I'm not optimistic it will. But I think that would be the best way forward."

Toomey joins a growing number of Republicans who want the President out of office before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as the next president on January 20. He is now the second Republican US senator to call for Trump's resignation. On Friday, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News, "I want him out. He has caused enough damage."

On Saturday, Toomey said that he thinks Trump has "committed impeachable offenses," but that he is not certain attempting to remove the President days before he leaves office is the right action to take. He doubled down on that point Sunday but also said it's possible Trump could face consequences for inciting the riot.

"I think there is also a possibility that there is criminal liability here. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a prosecutor," he told Tapper. "So ... you know, the standard for a conviction in a criminal prosecution is quite high."

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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